


All the Stars Align

by gezurak



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Astrodynamicist Niall, Kid Fic, M/M, Professor Harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-16 02:53:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5810866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gezurak/pseuds/gezurak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Nice to meet you,” Ms. Flack responds with a firm grip and warm smile. She gestures to the man who has followed the children down the bus’ stairs. “And this is my parent volunteer for the day, the professor, or Dr. Styles.” </p>
<p>The man standing beside her is so far removed from Niall’s typical idea of a professor that he does a double take before extending his hand. His eyes are green and expressive, the rest of his features wide, with curly brown hair pulled into a bun with sunglasses perched on top of his head. He’s tall and lean, long legs clad in skinny jeans and torso covered in a maroon shirt with a golden floral pattern. </p>
<p>He’s gorgeous, and Niall is fucked. </p>
<p>--</p>
<p>In which Niall is an astrodynamicist leading a last minute tour of nine-year-olds through his facility, and Harry is the parent volunteering on the trip.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the Stars Align

**Author's Note:**

> This is completely self-indulgent. I see so many fics where Niall does something in music or sport, but very few where he's involved with space of some kind. And this bloody nerd likes space. So here we are.

Niall is, as usual, the first to arrive at the lab. He hits the main light switch on his way in the door, the overhead lights coming on in a wave to illuminate the cubicles situated in two rows. Along the left of the long room, floor to ceiling glass gives way to the laboratory itself, glowing gently with under lighting and status lights of various equipment.

He makes his way to his cubicle- fourth in on the right - and shrugs out of his coat, hanging it along with his bag on the designated hook.

This is the time Niall loves the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory best - quiet enough that the only sound is the whirring of the heating vents and the hum of his computer as it wakes. He feels at peace in the moments as the day begins and he turns his focus onto his research.

As his computer boots up he heads to the kitchen for a cup of tea. He fills the kettle and turns it on before turning to the tea cabinet, nabbing a bag of his usual Barry’s. He carries his mug back to his desk and plops into his chair, his computer now on and awaiting his password. He types it in and gets to work.

That’s how he’s situated an hour later when a whirlwind enters his cubicle and a body shoves itself onto the side desk.

Niall takes a sip of his second cup of tea and warily eyes the man who has invaded his space.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asks.

The man lets out an affronted gasp, blue eyes wide as his hand coming to rest over his heart.

“It is a pleasure to be in my very presence,” he says indignantly and then pauses. “I came to remind you that you have the tour at nine.”

Niall sets his cup down hard enough that a bit of tea sloshes over the rim, narrowly avoiding his keyboard.

“What tour, Louis?”

He’s absolutely certain that Louis, who, in addition to being his best mate, is the _director of education_ for the UK Space Agency and its affiliates on campus, hasn’t mentioned Niall leading a tour before. Louis himself leads most of them, roping in various other employees if they’ve more than one school group that day or he has other commitments.

“I told you about it two weeks ago,” Louis states. “It’s a group of year fives from Oxford.”

No, Niall _definitely_ would have remembered Louis telling him about leading a group of nine and ten year olds. Whilst Niall doesn’t necessarily mind children, he usually has groups of teenagers when Louis needs him for tours. How is he supposed to make a tour informative for a group of primary school children?

“No, you didn’t.”

Louis looks down at his toes, clad in a pair of trainers Niall is fairly certain he’s had since before uni.

“Okay, I didn’t.”

“ _Louis -_ ”

“Look, I’m sorry, I completely forgot they were scheduled to come in today and I have another group in at the same time, and everyone else who I would usually ask has meetings or -”

Niall quirks a brow, effectively cutting off Louis’ single breath spiel.

“How do you know I don’t have meetings?”

“I looked at your email calendar.”

Niall’s brow furrows now.

“My email calendar, how did you get into my email calendar?”

Louis waves a dismissive hand.

“Doesn’t matter. So will you do it? Please?”

He widens his eyes and juts out his lower lip in just the manner he knows that Niall still hasn’t built up immunity to in the past three years.

Niall’s resolve wavers for five seconds before he sighs.

“Fine. But you _owe me, Louis_.”

“Yes, yes I do,” Louis agrees quickly and nods vehemently. “Thank you so much, Nialler, I really do. I’ll email you the itinerary I use for that age.”

And then he’s gone in a second whirlwind and Niall is left to glance at the clock on his computer monitor. There’s just under an hour before the group is set to arrive.

He wishes he had whisky for his tea as he takes a long gulp.

\--

Niall is waiting outside the RAL when the charter bus rolls up several minutes after nine.

Not five minutes after Louis had gone, an email had popped into Niall’s inbox with information about the group he’s leading, as well as Louis’ usual itinerary for groups of the same age. It’s fairly straightforward and includes fun activities with instructions, so Niall’s nerves have calmed slightly.

It takes a few minutes before the door slides open, and a young woman with her blond hair hair pulled back into a ponytail is the first off the bus. She beckons up the stairs and takes a step back to allow a slew of excited little girls off the bus and onto the asphalt. They’re all jabbering excitedly, grouped into sets of two by the hands for the most part.

Niall feels momentarily overwhelmed.

“You must be Ms. Flack,” he says politely and offers his hand for the woman to shake as the last of the children step off the bus. “‘m Dr. Niall Horan.”

“Nice to meet you,” she responds with a firm grip and warm smile. She gestures to the man who has followed the children down the bus’ stairs. “And this is my parent volunteer for the day, the professor, or Dr. Styles.”

The man standing beside her is so far removed from Niall’s typical idea of a professor that he does a double take before extending his hand. His eyes are green and expressive, the rest of his features wide, with curly brown hair pulled into a bun with sunglasses perched on top of his head. He’s tall and lean, long legs clad in skinny jeans and torso covered in a maroon shirt with a golden floral pattern.

He’s gorgeous, and Niall is fucked.

Niall tries not to gape at him as Dr. Styles shakes his hand.

“Call me Harry, please,” he says with a fond roll of his eyes in Ms. Flack’s direction. “Dr. Styles  is generally reserved for my students at the university, and any of my friends who like to harass me.”

Niall swallows hard.

“It’s a pleasure then, Harry,” he says and has to tear his eyes from Harry’s face to focus on the gaggle of girls surrounding them.

“What a lovely group we have here!” he exclaims cheerfully, switching gears into helpful tour guide mode. “Are you excited to learn about space today?”

The majority of girls shriek in affirmation, a few looking warily up at him in silence. Ah, those will be touch eggs to crack, but he knows he can.

One tiny brunette girl in particular crows in complete delight and grabs onto Harry’s arm to ground herself.

Harry heaves a long-suffering but loving sigh.

“This one is mine,” he says by way of explanation.

Niall studies the girl, Edie, according to her name tag,  for a moment, and she really does favour Harry, with the same green eyes, mouth, and dark brown curls. Her nose has more of an upturn to it, probably taking after her mother.

“Daaaad,” she drawls, voice matching Harry’s in exasperation. “I’m _excited_.”

“Well that’s good then, we’ve got a lot to learn today!” Niall says and waves the group into the main entrance.

It’s a two person job to herd everyone inside as he holds the door open, Ms. Flack doing a quick headcount as Harry brings up the rear again.

According to Louis’ itinerary, the first thing is to give the group an introduction to who he is, what he does, and what the facility is used for. So once everyone is gathered in the lobby, dozens of little eyes gazing upwards at the two storey atrium and glass ceiling, he clears his throat to draw their attention back to him.

“I’m Dr. Niall Horan. Welcome to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory,” he says clearly and gestures to the space around them. “The RAL, and with it RAL Space, is a part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council. RAL Space supports the Council’s various space research programmes, and partners with various other organisations, but mainly the UKSA. Does anyone know what UKSA stands for?”

A dozen hands shoot up and Niall is momentarily taken aback by the politeness. Most groups of children that come through their doors and he meets through Louis are rambunctious and overly excited.

Niall points to a tall dark skinned girl standing close to him. The name tag stuck to her uniform reads Vanessa.

“Yes, Vanessa?”

“United Kingdom Space Agency,” she replies.

“Very good,” he praises and she beams. “I actually work for an American company, but am working with a research team here right now.”

“What are you working on?” Harry asks.

“We’re working to develop reusable first stage rocket boosters, that are landed back at their launch site and recovered,” Niall explains. “It’s been successful but at this point my team is doing continuing research into the astrodynamics of what is required of the rocket to come back from higher orbit.”

Harry’s eyes widen.

“That’s SpaceX’s Falcon project,” he says, not asks. “You work on the _Falcon project_?”

Niall feels a flush working its way up his neck, surprised by a civilian recognising the project. It’s been a massive development in the world of space exploration and development, but most civilians aren’t familiar with it past ‘oh that’s kinda cool I suppose.’

He nods, and his surprise must show because Harry looks sheepish.

“Edie comes by her love of space very honestly,” Harry admits, cheeks dusted with pink.

“Why are reusable rocket boosters important?” another girl asks and again, Niall is thrown off. Nine year olds asking that sort of question are not necessarily the norm.

“Because space flight is _very_ expensive,” he explains. “Boosters especially. So right now, being able to reuse them makes the cost of launching satellites and things much less expensive. My team is trying to make similar boosters work for flights to the International Space Station, and the moon so going to those places isn’t as expensive either.”

The girls look up at him in awe.

“That’s so _cool_ ,” one breathes as another sighs wistfully, “I want to go to the moon.”

“Maybe one day you will,” Niall says kindly.

This is why trips like this are so important, as Louis so often tells him. The STEM fields have historically been an overwhelmingly male dominated area and diversity is important. Piquing girls’ interest in the sciences from a young age is important, and Niall is always happy to help do so.  

They begin the tour of the main facility, Niall stopping to point out various photographs that line the walls, achievements made by the teams and agencies who have done research here. He asks questions along the way, about the Sun and other planets and astronauts. The girls know most of the answers but hang onto his every word. After the tour of the ground floor he takes them upstairs to the labs, letting them look through the glass windows to watch the researchers. For safety reasons they can’t enter most of the labs, but they delight in watching from a distance all the same. Niall patiently answers their questions about the projects and what the different machines do, to the best of his abilities. He isn’t familiar with every project happening in the building but he does his best.

Niall saves his own lab for last, opening the door with a flourish.

“And this is _my_ lab.”

The girls perk up as they walk through the door, eyes everywhere in the space before they dart over to the glass walls. Naomi and Eric are in the lab gathered around one of the large monitors, data moving quickly across the screen.

“What are they _doing_?” a little red head with her hair in two braids asks. Niall thinks her name is Gwen but he can’t be sure with her back towards him.

“They’re reviewing data from a test earlier this week,” Niall explains. “We used one of our machines to mimic the effect of high orbit on a model.”

He taps on the glass to get his staff’s attention, not caring about interrupting them like he was about the other teams. When Naomi turns at the noise he waves and she touches Eric’s shoulder before coming to the door.

“Well what have we got here?” she asks, surveying the slew of pupils with that turn their attention on her.

“We’re from Chesterbrook Academy!” Layla pipes up. “Dr. Horan is teaching us about _space_.”

“Well you certainly have the best person here to teach you,” Naomi says indulgently, not managing to hide the amused grin she flashes Niall.

“The others having lunch?” NIall inquires, casting a look around the empty work space.

Naomi nods.

“Yep, for reasons.”

Of course the rest of the staff would take their breaks when they expected Niall to be in with a bunch of children.

“Mind if we come in then, or are you busy?”

Naomi shakes her head and allows the girls to enter the lab, Ms. Flack reminding them to stick with their buddy and not touch anything.

Niall hangs back as Naomi starts explaining some of their different machines, interacting easily with the girls.

“So, do you do this often?” Harry asks, falling into the space next to Niall but keeping a watchful eye on his charges. There’s a flirtatious quirk to his lips that sends Niall’s heart into double time.

“Do what often?” Niall replies his mind going blank at the innuendo. Is he _flirting?_

Harry makes a vague gesture at the kids.

“School tours.”

Niall makes a noncommittal noise in his throat.

“On occasion. Usually sixth form. Never had a group this young. Louis, our education director, usually has the littles.”

Harry raises his eyebrows.

“Really? You seem natural at this. Why’s he not got us then? Not that I’m complaining or anything,” Harry adds quickly as if he’s fearful of offending him. “Just curious.”

Niall feels his face heat at the compliment.

“He accidentally double booked today,” he admits. “And then forgot to ask anyone to take the tour, so here I am.”

Harry snorts.

“Well, thank you, really. You’ve been so good with them and made it such a good experience. We really appreciate it.”

“It’s no trouble,” Niall mumbles and has to focus on his shoes so Harry doesn’t see the way his face is heated up again. One attractive man compliments him and says nice things, and he’s goo.

He needs to get fucking laid.

After Naomi finishes with the girls, Niall herds them back down stairs to one of the conference rooms where he has a handful of hand torches and a bunch of paper circles spread around the tables. Stars aren’t his area of study by a long shot, but he’s always held an interest in constellations and this was one of the Louis approved activities.

He, Ms Flack, and Harry get the girls settled in sets of four around the room and Niall ensures everyone has some paper discs, a pencil, a print out of different constellations, and a hole punch.

It takes him a few minutes to give the instructions on the activity - look through the constellation sheet and replicate the one they like best using the hole punch, then make up and name their own constellation. When they’re finished, they’ll use the hand torches to project the constellations on the screen, and he’ll talk about them.

The girls are giddy at the prospect of making their own constellations, and it doesn’t take long for them to, imaginations running wild. Niall wanders the room, helping with punching holes and selecting constellations. He’s the shiny new adult and everyone wants his attention, but he’s careful to spread his time equally as Ms. Flack and Harry help too.

Within fifteen minutes the girls are ready and Niall collects their paper disks and Ms. Flack turns off the lights. Standing in the back of the room facing the drop down projection screen, he slides the switch on the hand torch and holds the first piece of paper in front of the beam.

A slightly wonky version of Andromeda is punched into the paper, but it’s close enough for Niall to recognise.

Niall could talk about Andromeda for hours, but unfortunately, he doesn’t have hours. Instead he explains that the constellation was recorded by Ptolemy and tells the age appropriate version of the myth of Andromeda and Cetus.

He only does a few of the actual constellations before allowing the girls to show off theirs, calling out each name and beckoning each girl to the back of the room with him. Some of the girls are timid and just say the name they’ve given their constellation, and others, like Edie, have a long winded explanation of how the constellation got its name, the myth, and even the names of the stars it includes.

As she speaks, Niall chances a sidelong glance at Harry where he’s seated at the closest table. Harry looks so unbearably fond and proud that it makes Niall’s heart clench a little bit.

After the last girl wraps up her little presentation, it’s time to go. Though Niall had started the morning apprehensive and mad at Louis, he’s sad to see the group go. They’ve honestly been the best tour group he’s ever had, more polite and enchanted than the usual groups of teenagers.

Ms. Flack and Harry round up the disgruntled girls who don’t want to leave, and Niall follows them out to where the bus is waiting in front of the building.

“Can everyone say thank you to Dr. Horan?” Ms. Flack prompts after doing her final head count.

“Thank you, Dr. Horan,” the children chorus obediently with Harry’s low baritone rounding them out.

“Thank you for coming,” Niall replies with a wide smile and a wave. “Hopefully you’ll come work with me here someday.”

Happy sounds surround him.

\--

Niall spends the rest of the afternoon in his lab with his team, reviewing the data from the last model test and coming up with a plan to improve it. He’s wrapping up some reports to send to the head of research when an incessant tapping on the glass draws his attention.

Louis is standing on the other side of the soundproof glass with his arms folded across his chest and a miffed look on his face. For a moment Niall debates giving him a two finger salute, but Louis’ stance worries him. Had something gone wrong with the tour and gotten reported to him?

Niall sighs, saves his work, and exits the lab. Louis is, as Louis does, on him immediately.

“Someone called Harry just rang my office about you,” Louis hisses as he stalks towards Niall. “Singing your praises about how good you were with the kids and how wonderfully informative you are. And then he asked for your number to thank you personally. It’s been five bloody hours _why didn’t you tell me there was a hot dad on the tour._ ”

Niall fish mouths.

“Harry rang your office?” he repeats dumbly. Harry rang Louis? And asked for his number? To thank him personally?

“Yes, Harry rang my office. Why didn’t you tell me Harry existed?”

Niall shrugs one shoulder, trying not to show that his mind is a mess of _Harry rang Louis’ office, Harry rang Louis’ office_.

“He was just a nice parent, Lou,” he responds and moves past his best friend to get to his cubicle to collect his things. Louis is already in his jacket with his bag slung over one shoulder, come to give Niall a ride home no matter what his other motives are.

“Yeah, okay, sure. Do you want to know if I gave him your number?”

Niall pauses, back to Louis and halfway into his jacket. Yes, yes he does. But he also doesn’t want to admit it to Louis. So he finishes putting on his jacket and picks up his bag before turning to face him again.

Louis’ got that smirk on his face, the knowing one he reserves for when he’s smug and Niall is on the other end.

“Because I totally gave him your number.”

Niall doesn’t know if he’s pleased or terrified.

\--

When Louis drops Niall off at home, Niall is exhausted. Between the tour and Louis continuing to grill him the entire twenty minute drive, he’s got a niggling headache forming behind his eyes.

His little cottage is dark but warm when he unlocks the front door and kicks his shoes off. His jacket and bag go next onto their hook and then he makes his way into the kitchen to make dinner. He checks his mobile as he pads across the wood floors. He’s got two texts off his dad asking when he’s going to come for a visit and one from Louis’ boyfriend Liam reminding him he promised to go to theirs for dinner tomorrow night.

As if Niall had forgotten or Louis would let him forget.

It doesn’t take him long to make a quick stir fry and then he’s back to the lounge, kicking his feet up on the ottoman with his bowl and the telly remote. He’s just settled in, turned on SkySports when his mobile pings where it’s on the cushion next to him.

With a mouthful of vegetables he picks it up to check who it is and his stomach swoops when it’s a text from an unknown number.

  * _Hi, this is Harry from the tour today! I got your number from Mr. Tomlinson, hope that’s not too weird. I just wanted to say thanks again for being such a great tour guide. Edie and the other girls really enjoyed the visit. Maybe I could take you to coffee sometime to say thank you?_



Niall chews and swallows quickly enough for his food to scratch his throat on the way down but he doesn’t feel a thing, too wrapped up in the fact that Harry texted him. _Harry texted him_.

He thumbs through his phone until his thumb is hovering over Louis’ name in his contacts list. He knows deep down that Louis is going to take the piss out of him, but Louis’ still his best mate.

Niall presses call anyway.

Louis picks up on the third ring and Niall can hear the glee in his voice from just the “Hello?” as if he knows why Niall’s ringing him.

“He texted me,” Niall sputters.

“Who texted you?” Louis’ playing dumb and they both know it, and if Niall could, he’d smack him through the phone.

“Don’t be an idiot, Lou. Do I text him back? What do I say?”

“Well what did _he_ say?” Louis asks.

“Hold on.”

Niall pulls his phone away from his ear to turn it on speaker and  thumb through the screens until he has Harry’s message on the screen. He reads it aloud then, Louis staying respectively silent.

“Say that you enjoyed the tour too and would love to go to coffee with him,” Louis says immediately when Niall finishes reading off the text. “And maybe add a smiley face.”

“Isn’t that too juvenile? Is this a date? Do you think he’s _interested in me_?”

Niall can practically hear the roll of Louis’ eyes in his head.

“Nialler, let me tell you a thing. Grown men don’t just call people’s bosses and ask for their numbers to thank them assisting with a _field trip_.”

Niall pauses, lip between his teeth.

“But you’re not my boss.”

Louis lets out a screech that echos through Niall’s living room.

“I’m hanging up now,” he says and then he’s gone.

Niall stares at the keyboard of his phone where it sits below Harry’s invitation.

It’s true that Harry is incredibly attractive and has the cutest child Niall has ever seen. But it’s also true that Niall hasn’t been in a relationship in ages and you don’t just fuck around with men with kids. At least, not in his experience.

Niall briefly wonders where Edie’s other parent is - if Harry had been in a relationship with her mother, or if he and a former partner had had her via surrogate but - that’s not what’s important right now.

He takes a deep breath, thumbs tapping away at the keyboard.

  * _glad to hear the girls had fun ! I enjoyed it too ! coffee sounds great :) did you have a place in mind?_



He locks his phone and sets it down beside him again to return to his dinner, looking down at his plate with his stomach in anxious knots. He wants Harry to text him back. He wants to see what he’s like not surrounded by a myriad of children. He wants to know if they’d get along.

Niall’s phone pings a few moments later.

  * _I’m not sure where you live, so I don’t want to suggest anywhere that would be an inconvenience, but there’s a lovely cafe east of the university._



East of the university is fine and Niall texts Harry back telling him so. In a few more minutes he and Harry have plans for tomorrow midday, and Harry sends him a final text telling him to have a good rest of his evening.

Buoyed by the prospect of coffee with Harry tomorrow, Niall does.


End file.
